Rail-joint.



No. 718,516. l PATENTED JAN. 1s, 1903. W. E. PENN.

fr RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION PII-ED JULY 7, 1902.

`NO MODEL.

/5- j i fps@ /j UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

WINS'ION E. PENN, OF GRENADA, MISSISSIPPI.

,SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent'No. 718,516,` dated January 13, 1903.

Application filed July 7, 1902. Serial No. 114,691. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom, it nto/,y concern:

Be it known that I, WNSTON E. PENN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grenada, Grenada county, State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in rail-joints, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable any one skilled in the art to make and use the same.

The objects of myinvention are to provide a joint which is simple in' construction, of a small number of parts, strong and reliable in operation, and which Will give a smooth continuous surface for the car-Wheels. I carry out these objects as will be more fully hereinafter set forth in the drawings, specification, and claim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a mechanical perspective of the joint between the adjacent ends of two rails embodying my invention, one rail Vbeing shown with its end a section taken on the line l 1 of Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same joint with the added feature of bolts as an additional fastening. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing additionally a bolt through the rail-Web.

Referring now to the drawings, in which like parts are indicated by the same or like numerals in allthe views, l and 2 are the adjacent ends of two rails which are. formed into the joint. In these rails 4 and 5 are the balls or treads of the rails, 6 and 7 the webs, and 8 and 9 the flanges.

The joint is made by cutting or forming the balls 4 and 5 and webs 6 and 7 into exactly similar pieces, which lap on each other and form the joint. These pieces, as will be seen by reference to the drawings, are formed, preferably, exactly on the center line of the rail, so that when they are lapped they form a web and ball of identical thickness with that of the other portions of the rail. In addition to this the balls 4 and 5 are then initered outward, so that they secure for expansion and contraction the advantages of the parallel parts and at the 4same time the smooth-riding qualities of the mitered rail. The ange 8 of the rail 1 is cut away under- Vfull thickness of ange of the rail.

neath, and the same amount of the liange 9 is left to extend forward underneath the flange 8, thus forming between the two the The flange 9 is reduced in thickness on the lower side at the end to form, in effect, a tongue 10, which extends across the entire width of rail. This tongue 10 is held against the ange 8 by means of two pieces l1 and 12, one of which, 11, passes through the upper part of the iange 8, near its junction with the web 6,

and the other, 12, beneath the tongue 10, and

are held together by bolts 13. Shoulders 14 prevent sidewise movement of the joint, and where same is laid in the track with the edge marked inner edge for the wheel-ange to bear against may be used without other fastening than shown.A In case, however, it should be so desired bolts 15 may be employed to hold the ianges together or a bolt or bolts 16 be employed to fasten the web together. These bolts are shown in section in order to show the oval holes, which permit v expansion. The length of the joint may be varied to suit the needs and exigencies of the case, but it is believed that a joint having a lap of between 18 and 36 inch will cover all necessary cases.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

In a rail-joint, the combination with the two-rail ends having their webs and balls cut in two similar and parallel sections on the center line, andthe ends of the balls mitered, one of said tail ends having the lower part of its flange cut away and the other having the corresponding upper part of its liange out away and having the end of the flange formed with a tongue, of two plates extending through and across the rail respectively and bolted together to form a mortise for the said tongue, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WINSTON E. PENN.

`Witnesses:

W. A. ODoRN, W. T. KNOX. 

